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Two who helped David Renz's victims remain haunted a year later

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Bill Cregg, of Cicero, received a hug from Mary Holland, the cousin of Lori Bresnahan at the State Office Building where Cregg and John Harke, of Clay, were honored by Sens. David Valesky and John DeFrancisco for stopping last March 14 to help Lori Bresnahan and a 10-year-old girl who were attacked by David Renz. At left is Darlene Cregg, Bill's wife.
(Michelle Gabel | mgabel@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Two men who came to the aid of David Renz's victims a year ago today say they have become protective of their loved ones.

Bill Cregg, who comforted the dying Lori Bresnahan, and Frank Crispin, who was among the Moyers Corners Fire Department crew that responded March 14, 2013, said they remain affected by what they saw a year ago on Verplank Road in Clay.

That night, Renz abducted Bresnahan and a 10-year-old girl as they were leaving a gymnastics class at the Great Northern Mall. Renz bound both victims and drove them to Verplank Road, where he raped the girl and stabbed the woman to death. The girl fled.

Who?

Cregg, 45, of Cicero who served in the Army and is now part-owner of DeWald Roofing Co. in Central Square, was driving on Verplank Road when he saw the little girl running from a wooded area. He put the girl in his truck and comforted Bresnahan.

How did it affect him?

"For several months, I didn't even want my wife to go to the mall," Cregg said. "I still have reservations."

Cregg said he asks his wife only to go to the mall during the day, and to have a security guard walk her to her car at night, he said. He asks that his 6-year-old daughter stay home with him.

A year later, Cregg said he still finds it difficult to look strangers in the eye and he wakes up two or three times in the middle of the night and checks on his daughter.

Cregg has lobbied lawmakers for the reform of sex offender laws, including probation laws and greater access to juvenile records of sex offenders. Renz had prior offenses.

He's sought counseling from Veterans Affairs.

"What I did for a living in the military made me a hyper-vigilant individual already, and now it's taken to the nth degree," Cregg said.

Who?

Crispin, 47, is the Moyers Corners first deputy chief, and was among the firefighters who arrived first at the scene.

Firefighters from Moyers Corners Station 1 were among those who responded to the murder of Lori Bresnahan and rape of a 10-year-old girl on Verplank Road.Provided Photo

How did it affect him?

He said that he, as with many of his fellow responders, felt a need to protect his wife.

He and the veteran members of the department have stepped up in debriefing sessions to talk about their feelings - something almost unheard of until the Verplank Road incident. The sessions now include a chaplain.

"A lot of the senior people, me included, tried to push things down and not talk about things," Crispin said. "That call changed a lot of us senior people to say the only way I'm going to get the 24-year-old to talk about this is if I talk about it. Get rid of the tough guy stuff. Some of the older guys stood up and said 'This hurt me. It affected me and my family.' "